Day by Day: My Calender Girl
by Pandora North Star
Summary: The second in the series, Angel sees Buffy for the first time and vows to protect her.


Day by Day: My Calender Girl  
Angel sat back in his seat and took a deep calming breath. Somehow the rhythmic action always eased him even though it wasn't necessary. She was beautiful, young but beautiful. He was falling in love at first sight, something he always thought impossible. He slapped his forehead.  
How dare he think of a young girl when he had many years of brooding ahead of him. Still Whistler wanted him to help her. But how could he if he was to fall in love with her? He scratched his arm. His filthy grimy unworthy arm. It reminded him of the fowl accident he was. He wasn't fit to even look at her.   
He started the car. He had to get away, stop thinking. He had to go numb like he had been for almost 100 years. As he thought about it he was amazed at the way he shut down, avoided anything that had to do with going near others. He had lived like an animal. Only worrying about food and shelter and the day to day, nothing more than that.  
He looked at the addresses Whistler gave him on the piece of paper. She wasn't moving there quite yet. But Whistler knew what was coming and anticipated Angel's willingness to help her cause. He wanted to linger in town though, after coming such a long way. He drove around LA until he found a run down hotel that would suit his needs. He showered and slept through the rest of the day.   
That night he found her. She was in a graveyard with her watcher learning to stake vampires. It stung him a little when he saw her plunge the deadly wood into it's chest. But after he felt relieved. The world didn't need anymore of his kind around. Not if they went around killing everything. Her mom yelled at her when she came home and his heart went out to her. The girl couldn't tell her parents if they didn't know already. They wouldn't understand. She would have it hard, he didn't need Whistler's words echoing in his head to tell him that.   
He watched her go into her bedroom, tears wetting her rosy porcelain skin. She picked up a stuffed animal off the bed and held it close, tossing the stake across the room. She looked so very young to him. He wanted so badly to go in there and pick her up, nuzzle her in his arms and feel her skin on his and be able to tell her he would protect her...be her guardian Angel. Angel. He would be her Angel. Angelus was dead. A new and better man was emerging from that dead cold shell. He noticed across the room facing him was a calendar. My Birthday scrawled in big letters was there. So her birthday was coming. He would get her something. It would mark the beginning of his being her Angel.  
He went home to leave her to her privacy. The hotel was loud and disruptive but he didn't care. He had to sit and think. Was she his purpose? Was she going to be his torment? What did it all mean? Every time he closed his eyes she was there smiling at him with her innocent face. It plastered the walls of his mind like super glued posters.   
He slept eventually, and for a long time. The days went blindingly fast then, only marked by the days on her calender with their little pictures and notes. Each night he watched her patrol and tried to help when he could, without her seeing him. Her birthday came ever closer and he still didn't know much about her. He knew she was Buffy Summers, she was turning 16, and she was to be one of the greatest Slayers ever but not much more than that. He gave up one day and took a trip to Sunnydale, where her future home would be. He found the house that she would live in. It was a nice home if not for the fact it was situated over a Hellmouth. He understood that fact very quickly.   
Then he found his apartment. The one Whistler had acquired for him. It was a small place with heavy vampire friendly curtains and not much else. It was perfect for him. For 80 years he had lived a Spartan life, why should he stop now? He wandered the town, getting acquainted with it. He stopped at a local Magick shop and went in. Maybe he would find something there for her because normal teenage things didn't seem right for the little Slayer Girl.   
A small glass figurine caught his eye. He asked the owner who spoke with a funny Indian accent. He was told it was a protective totem. They sold a lot of them no doubt because of the unspoken hellmouth. It was perfect. It was an Angel after all. He held it up to the light to examine the craftsmanship. It was well made probably by some sort of monk somewhere. It gleamed in the light and a rippled rainbow bounced back at him. He paid for it and let the man put it in a box.   
He drove back to LA that night and looked in her window. The last day before her birthday was marked off and so was another thing he hadn't seen. In angry black marker were the words 'divorce' right over some little note about going out with friends. He looked at her sitting on the bed. She was staring off into nowhere and he understood. That was the catalyst for moving. Her parents were splitting. How much harder was life going to be? He was impressed. She was a strong one, not just physically. He shifted the box in his hands. He didn't know why he brought it. He was going to save it for the next night. He fingered the rough ribbon tied on it and decided against it. She needed it. He debated about going to the front door or just knocking on the window and bolting. He was fast enough and it might be nice to watch her unwrap it.   
He hesitated for a moment before rapping swiftly and putting the box down. He hightailed it into the bushes and willed himself to stand frozen. After a moment the window opened and his young Buffy looked about. Her eyes seemed to pause when they went past him but they quickly fixed upon the box. She leaned over precariously and picked up the box with her fingertips. She brought it inside and shut the window. After a few minutes Angel crawled back over so just his eyes were over the windowsill. He could see her on the bed looking at the tag that simply read 'Buffy'. She pulled the ribbon off at long last and opened the box.   
She held up the little Glass figurine and for the first time in awhile he saw her smile. She held it with one hand and wiped away the tears from her eyes. It caught the light like it had in the shop and for a moment a beautiful rainbow filled the room then faded. She stood up and placed it on her night stand. Angel smiled to himself and rubbed his greasy head. He had forgotten to wash in all the thoughts about her. She did a strange thing then. She walked over to the calender and picked up a marker. She drew a tiny picture of his present on the day then went back to the bed.   
'Each day is a new day and each day I will be watching over you. When the world turns away from you my heart's rainbow will be with you. You fill me with the light of the world.' he thought as he walked away. 'You are my calender and you have just created a new holiday.'   



End file.
